Dig for Fire
by Astro Latte
Summary: There were eight eyes in their household, four points of view, and only one answer. Could Vash find it?
1. Skip

**Dig for Fire**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Trigun.**

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She really should have seen this coming.

After working as a Disaster Investigator and following him around for so long, Meryl honestly should have seen this coming. However she, being the naïve woman she was, thought the Humanoid Typhoon had finally calmed down and decided to live a peaceful, simple life with her and Millie.

Boy was she wrong.

The day had started as normal as normal could get in their household. Meryl had gone in to check on the homicidal manic that resided in their upstairs bedroom and had noticed that they were low on medicine and bandages.

If it were up to her, the short woman would have simply ignored the factor and let the egotistical plant die, but that wouldn't have been a great idea since this certain egotistical plant happened to be the brother of the man she was currently head over heels in-love with. Therefore she sent out to buy more supplies.

What a good person she was.

On her way out though, she was stopped by Vash who wanted to go with her. Of course she agreed and they sent out to the General Convenience Store down the road. The town was buzzing with excitement ever since it had hit water. It gave people hope, something Gunsmoke was dangerously lacking.

Even Mr. Teller, the owner of the small store, was in good spirits. He asked Meryl how her patient was and she was tempted to say, "Oh he's plotting the end to all humanity but thank god this moron to my left shot him up or else we'd all be in trouble."

She said he was doing well.

They swam through the ocean of people once again. They were a block away from home when Vash's head shot up, immediately reminding her of a dog.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"Stay here." He was off like a bullet to a crowd of people. Meryl followed soon afterward and stood in the swarm of nosey neighbors.

"What's the matter?" she asked a large woman in front of her.

The large woman seemed middle-aged had unruly brown hair that was hidden underneath a bandanna; she seemed very into whatever was happening. "Well dear, it seems there's some kind of hostage situation over in the Mayor's office. Around ten or twelve thugs want to take over the town or something like that."

If Meryl wasn't holding the bandages she would have rested her head in her hands. Did that man ever think? He didn't even have his gun anymore, how was he going to take down a dozen ruffians?

"Oh look at that!" exclaimed the woman. "It seems a young man is going to try to fight the thugs! He's kind of scrawny though, but definitely handsome!"

Meryl felt her heart sink down to her feet. He had taken guys out without his gun before, right? Yes, all those times when she and Millie had first met him he had never used his gun.

But was it all just dumb luck?

"I-I can't believe it…." The short girl's attention was instantly brought back to the woman.

"What? What happened?" she tried to look over the crowd but she was too short. Damn her short stature.

"That scrawny young man just took out most of the thugs. I'm not even sure how! It was faster than light!"

Meryl let out a sigh of relief. "He's okay,"

The woman turned and faced the younger one, "Oh my, is that man your boyfriend?"

Meryl felt her face burn and instantly sputtered, "N-n-no! He's just my roommate!" The older woman's eyes twinkled and she gave her the classic Oh-Yeah-Right-You-So-Like-Him look.

The insurance agent looked down at her feet and the woman laughed, "You know dear, you can go in front of me! It must be hard to see anything with your height!" She instantly took Meryl and pushed her in front of herself. "No, that won't do! You still can't see a thing can you? We'll just have to move you up then!" The woman began to push the tiny woman through the crowd. "Excuse us…sorry…the girl can't see a thing…there we go!"

As embarrassed as Meryl was, she was still happy for the woman's kindness. She turned around to thank her, but the woman was gone. Her attempt to look for her was cut short when she heard one of the older man yell, "Aw hell would you look at that!" Attention was now back on the fight and she saw Vash stand in front of the office calmly with that dumb lopsided grin as a large man stepped out from the building.

The man was obviously the boss; he was the biggest of the thugs and wielded a huge machine gun. His dark, greasy hair was held back with an elastic hair-tie and he had a cigarette sticking out from the corner of his mouth. He reminded Meryl of some kind of ape the way he trudged out of the office.

"What's all this then, eh?" he had asked.

Vash stood there smiling, as if the goon had asked from for directions to the local church. "Hello there! I was wondering, if you could please stop this hostile takeover and to please give yourself up peacefully. I would be awfully grateful."

The Boss looked at him like he had grown another head. "Y-y-you can't be serious? No I will not stop this hostile takeover, why the hell would I?"

"Well…" the blonde pointed to the many men who now littered the outside of the building. "Look at all these guys! This must be an omen that it is a bad idea."

It seemed as if the man hadn't noticed the fact that his comrades were all defeated and now laying motionless on the ground. He seemed to have the same thought everyone else did, how did that scrawny guy do all this?

His thoughts were interrupted by Vash. "Don't worry, they're not dead."

"No," He quickly reached back and grabbed his gun. "But you are!"

The sounds of the gun going off and the onlookers screaming filled the town and did not seem to end until the Boss' shots did. There was a loud bang and everyone's eyes were now glued back to the Mayor's Office.

A cyclone of dust swirled around the scene and Meryl had a hard time seeing past it. When the dust had subsided the tiny insurance girl was surprised to make out the man's machine gun was now in pieces around him and Vash standing unscathed. "Those fancy new guns," He shook his head. "It's all fun and games until they explode randomly without cause or reason. What a shame."

The Boss looked at his shattered gun in disbelief. "How…how the hell did it just explode?" He looked at Vash with fury burning in his rugged face. "Who the hell are you?"

A hideously off-key laugh erupted from the blonde and Meryl was tempted to run up and beat him for making such an ungodly noise. "Oh how silly of me!" His voice then went down three octaves. "I am a warrior for Peace. I am the Mayfly of Love. I am-"

"YOU'RE VASH THE STAMPEDE!" the boss screamed and everyone in the crowd let out a gasp of surprise, including Vash. Meryl began to hear the audience talk among themselves.

"Him? He's back?"

"I thought he left us alone after we dragged him around with that truck!"

"He sure doesn't look like that haggard ol' thing we saw before, eh?"

"Nah, he sure doesn't!"

"Do you think he wants payback for what we did to him?"

"Of course not you ol' coot! Why would he be tryin' to stop this guy then, huh?"

"Maybe it's all a show or somethin' and they're all in a gang together!"

If she could, Meryl would've screamed at the men's ignorant chatter, but she was too engrossed in what she saw before her. One of the bandits had arisen from the ground and was now aiming his revolver for the unsuspecting blonde.

"VASH!" she screamed and the sounds of shots brought everyone's gossip to a stall and attention back to the scene.

Everything seemed to happen in slow motion. The shots hitting, Vash's plunge, even when Sheriff and his men _finally_ arrived it seemed like it had been a lifetime. Meryl felt as if she was underwater and no matter how fast she wanted to move she only moved at a snail's pace.

The small woman collapsed to the blonde's side. "Vash! Vash! Come on, say something!" It was no use, he was out cold.

"Miss, we're going to have to ask you to step away from him."

Meryl looked up to see the Sheriff standing over her. "W-what do you mean?"

"We're going to bring him to the local hospital, then take him into custody."

"WHAT?" she exclaimed. "You cannot be serious! This man just saved your entire town, while you and your men were taking their dear sweet time!"

"Ma'am, me and my men were positioned around the scene and were ready to act at any given moment."

"In other words, you waited until it was safe enough to do something," she snarled. "You're a bunch of cowards!"

"Ma'am, I'm not going to ask you a-" he was cut off by his name being called. He swung around and saw a woman and her husband rushing towards them. Meryl instantly recognized her as the woman from before.

"Sheriff Rockwell! Please let my husband tend this young man's wounds! He used to be a doctor in May City!" Before the Sheriff could refuse, the older man had already begun to rip Vash's shirt off. The doctor looked to Meryl, "Miss, you would've have any medical supplies in that bag would you?" She quickly handed the man the bag and watched him work, wondering how he had known.

She had to admit the doctor knew his stuff; she had never seen Vash's wounds so neatly wrapped. Maybe she could send Knives to him and see what he could do. At least then he'd be out of her hair.

Speaking of hair…

Meryl brushed a stray lock of hair away from Vash's face. His hair was soft and she let her fingers move farther, taking a risk she wouldn't have if he weren't unconscious.

As an added bonus, the Sheriff had let Vash off the hook. At least she didn't have to worry about that.

"Sempai!"

Meryl immediately removed her hand from the outlaw's hair and swung around to see Millie standing in the doorway. "Oh Millie you startled me."

Her partner gave her a smile, "Sorry Sempai, I just came in and didn't know where everyone had gone." The tall women then noticed Vash on the bed. "Uh oh, what happened to Mr. Vash this time?" She looked over Meryl's shoulder to see the unconscious blonde.

"It's a long story, but h-" There was then an earsplitting crash in the other room followed by a scream.

Millie casually glanced at the wall, "Looks like Mr. Knives is up. I think it's time for his medicine." She watched her friend get up from the chair, "Are you sure you're up to it, Sempai? I can do it this time if you want." Meryl just shook her head and left the bedroom.

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**(AN: Looks who's back with another chapter story! **

**Did you miss me?**

**I was planning on posting this a lot sooner than this, but I have more work from my English teacher than you can shake a stick at. Thanks to my procrastination and lack of an attention span I've managed to finally upload the first chapter of this baby!**

**Please review! It justifies my laziness!) **


	2. Pause

**Dig for Fire**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Trigun.**

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How the hell did he end up like this?

Oh yes, that's right, his traitor of a brother shot him up then dragged him into this disgusting place festering with the parasites known as humans.

He rather he'd been killed.

What was worse was the fact that he couldn't even move. Vash had shot him in such a way that both of his arms and legs were immobilized, not to mention the medication those female spiders gave him made it nearly impossible to use his mental abilities.

God, he hated them.

He used every once of his strength to raise his hand, and just when he thought he had regained come control he felt unbearable pain travel up his limb causing him arm to smash it into the end table. The vase that resided on the stand crashed onto the floor. Knives screamed in both frustration and agony.

It was at that moment that Vash's beloved pet decided to saunter in. She looked at the broken vase and up at Knives, "What ever happened you probably deserved it," she said nonchalantly. "I told you not to move your arm. You didn't listen and that's what you get."

The Plant grumbled under his breath, "Execrable bitch…"

"Decadent bastard." she replied, having heard his low grouse.

Knives growled, "Injudicious human!"

"Pusillanimous Plant!" she spat.

Thus began the glaring contest, a tradition between them, of which Meryl was the current champion of. After a few moments, she maintained her title after Knives winced as his shoulder began to throb.

The woman victoriously strolled over to the Plant's bedside and began to run her fingers along his bindings. Knives felt his stomach churn as her vile fingers touched his virtuous flesh. He needed to breathe through his mouth to keep from vomiting.

"Just as I thought," She said relieving him of her touch. "You reopened the wound in your shoulder. I told you not to move it, now I have to bandage it all over again."

The platinum-blonde groaned and shut his eyes painfully as the insurance girl began to work on his shoulder.

After a few minutes Meryl interrupted Knives' comfortable silence. "Knives?" He didn't respond, but she continued anyway. "Do you care about Vash? Not like a fellow Plant, but as a brother." She continued her mending as the man looked at her peculiarly.

"What…what kind of question is that?"

Meryl finished with his shoulder and gave him her full attention, "Well? Do you?"

Knives was shocked, "I cannot believe you would even ask me something as…as…stupid as that!" His artic eyes blazed with emotion he rarely let loose. "Of course I care about him you unacquainted fool! If I didn't, do you even believe I would have _allowed_ you and your colossal colleague live for this long?" His voice was laced with venom. "He asked me to spare you both! If he had not I would have _exterminated_ you two vermin on sight!"

He expected her to bawl, scowl, or even cringe, but she didn't. Instead she sat there and smiled. "I'm glad," she said. "Vash cares so much about you that it would be a shame if you were simply here to betray him again."

He watched her as she reached for a packet of tablets, and poured the remains of the water from a pitcher into a glass. She assisted him as he took the painkillers.

She then stood up. "It also seems we have some common ground after all." His eyes never left her as she exited the room.

He felt anger boil inside him, for reasons other than frustration. He knew deep down he really didn't detest Vash's pet (not that he would **_ever_** admit to it). She wasn't unintelligent, disgusting, or any of the other things he had thought of humans.

Yet, she was stubborn (more so than even him at times) and demanding. She needed to realize her place in the world. That she was an inferior life form compared to him and his brother and she should value that instead of ordering them around as if it didn't matter. She never backed down though, no matter how many times he insulted her she would simply retaliate.

He just couldn't figure her out, and that was what aggravated him most.

Humans were always difficult for Knives to comprehend, but female humans were next to impossible.

He then felt the familiar drowsiness that came with taking the painkillers.

"Infuriating…human…" he mumbled before falling into a dreamless slumber.

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**(AN: NOBODY HIT ME! _(ducks and hides underneath desk) _**

**I admit this chapter was a bit shorter than the last one… _(notices it's only two pages in Microsoft Word)_ Okay…maybe _a lot_ shorter. **

**It's not my fault though, and as soon as I think of a better excuse I'll tell you it. But I PROMISE the next chapter will be longer!**

**Until then, please review! I love you all! Especially those who reviewed already!)**

**P.S. - A special thanks to **igbogal** who already has this on Alerts!**


	3. Fast Forward

**Dig for Fire**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Trigun.**

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Luck was on her side today.

She had gotten off of work early due to the fact that her foreman was still thrilled with how quickly they had reached water. She happily made her way up town and stopped into the General Convenience Store to buy a couple cups of chocolate pudding, her favorite.

"Hello Mr. Teller!" she greeted and handed the middle-aged man the money for her treats.

"Well hello, Miss Millie!" he took the money and handed the big-girl her change. "Quite a commotion before, eh?"

Millie opened her pudding and began to dig in with the spoon she always carried with her, just incase. "What commotion?" she asked.

The older man's eyes widen with surprise. "You mean you…haven't heard?"

The brunette shook her head and continued to eat her pudding.

"Well, I guess since you were downtown you wouldn't hear about it. But gee, the whole town was nearly taken over by thugs!"

"Thugs?" she repeated. "Were there a lot of them?"

Mr. Teller nodded. "Around a dozen or so, and their boss was one mean fellow!"

"What did they do?"

"They tired to take over the Mayor's Office!"

Millie gasped and proceeded to open another pudding. "Oh no!"

"Oh yes!" the old man nodded. "And the Sheriff and his men were nowhere in sight! We would have been down for if it weren't for that blonde guy!"

The tall insurance girl swallowed her pudding with a loud gulp, "A blonde guy? You mean Mr. Vash?" Uh oh.

"Well…" Mr. Teller leaned over the counter and whispered. "That's what the rumors say. The Sheriff claims he's just a passerby who happened to come about the scene and wanted to help."

Millie nodded, "I see,"

"But…" his voice was even lower. "I know your friend Meryl was in here with a blonde man right before everything went down, and I also know that you two girls were very friendly with Vash the Stampede."

His eyes narrowed and she suddenly felt uneasy. "Mr. Teller…you're not…gonna tie him to that truck again…are you?" she queried fearfully.

"What!" the old man nearly screamed and began shaking his hands in front of him. "No! Of course not! I just wanted to know if you can send him our gratitude…and apologies for what we did to him before."

She felt a wave of relief hit her system and smiled happily, "Well in that case, I'd be happy to tell him! I'm sure Mr. Vash will be glad to know that the town has accepted him!"

"Thanks Miss Millie, it really means a lot to us!" He then pointed to stack of pudding behind her. "Take some. It's on the house."

"Gee thanks, Mr. Teller!" She then picked up two containers of chocolate pudding then made her way out waving. "I'll see you later!"

She continued to eat her pudding on the way to the house. "I sure hope Mr. Vash is alright, but knowing Sempai she's probably watching over him like a hawk." She pictured Meryl tending Vash's wounds with love and squealed happily. "Maybe this will be thing to bring them together...and make me an aunt!"

After her daydream, Millie made her way into to the house and walked cheerfully inside. "Sempai?" she called, and wasn't surprised to hear silence answer her. She placed her pudding on the table and made her way up the stairs to Vash's room.

Afraid of interrupting anything, Millie slowly opened the door a crack and looked inside. She saw Meryl sitting in front of the bedside of an unconscious Vash, and immediately clasped her hands over her mouth.

"Sempai!"

She notice Meryl instantaneously swing around in fright. "Oh Millie you startled me."

Millie gave her a smile that she hoped was reassuring. "Sorry Sempai, I just came in and didn't know where everyone had gone." She lied and pretended to just notice Vash on the bed. "Uh oh, what happened to Mr. Vash this time?" She walked over to try and see the damage to the blonde.

What really gave Millie the chills was the fact that Vash didn't often loss consciousness unless he suffered from extreme pain or mental trauma. The last, and only time, she had seen him like this was when he shot that horrible blue haired man.

She was thrown from her thought by her partner, "It's a long story, but h-"

Abruptly there was then a crash and a loud scream from Knives' room.

Millie took a glanced at the wall. She was used to all sorts of loud noises coming from the Plant's room. It seemed as if he was having another one of his fits again. "Looks like Mr. Knives is up. I think it's time for his medicine." She watched her friend get up from the chair, and felt a twinge of guilt sting her heart. It really wasn't fair for Meryl to have to take care of both men. "Are you sure you're up to it, Sempai? I can do it this time if you want." To her dismay, she watched her partner shake her head and leave the bedroom.

It was getting late in the afternoon and Millie wondered if it would be too early to begin making dinner. She sighed and turned back to unconscious outlaw, Meryl was probably at his side the entire day and knowing her she didn't eat at all. After making sure Vash would be all set if he were to awake, she quietly exited the room.

The hallway was small and it seemed as soon as Millie left Vash's room she was right in the room with Meryl and Knives. She heard her friend fight with their houseguest and smiled, who would have thought that Millions Knives would be having a "name-calling-contest" with a human? Maybe there was some hope for him after all...

Down the steps and into the kitchen, Millie could still hear the buzzing derision from upstairs. After rummaging through the cabinets, she decided to make a nice stew for dinner that night. She was just in middle of cutting the carrots when Meryl had come down the stairs.

"Hello Sempai!" she greeted and watched as the smaller insurance girl took seat at the table. She noticed Meryl picked up the extra container of pudding and looked at it strangely before raising and eyebrow at her as if to say 'Why is this not eaten yet?'

"Oh yes! Mr. Teller gave me some extra today; I never really got around to finishing them though," She smiled. "Do you want one, Sempai?" Meryl shook her head and placed the container back on the table.

"Why did he give you extra?"

"Well," Millie went back to cutting her carrots. "He wanted me to tell Mr. Vash that the town was sorry for how they treated him." She dropped the chopped vegetables into the large pot. "Isn't that nice, Sempai?"

"Yes…very nice…" her voice was far off. Was she even paying attention?

"Sempai?" Millie asked sheepishly. When she got no response she walked over to her friend and lightly tapped her on the shoulder. Meryl jumped up and quickly faced her. "Sempai, is anything wrong?"

Millie was really worried. She hadn't seen Meryl this distant since those two years Vash was missing.

"Millie...do you..." she stopped and looked down at the table. "Think...if I tell Vash..."

The taller woman nearly screamed. How could her friend be so confident one second and then so insecure the next?

"Sempai," her voice had an unfamiliar sternness to it. "Do you care about Mr. Vash?"

Meryl seemed to squirm under the question, like a bug underneath a microscope and Millie had to bite her cheek to keep from smiling. "Yes..." she answered quietly.

"Would you regret never telling him how you feel?" she asked.

"Yes." Millie noticed the confidence back in her voice.

"Then don't worry about the ifs!" she said with a smile. "Like my little-big-sister used to say, 'you can never question matters of the heart'. So stop questioning yourself and just go for it!"

She felt a burst of happiness elope her when she saw the ravened haired woman smile. Millie triumphantly made her way back to the counter and was just about to cut some celery when she heard the chair scrape against the wood floor. She quickly looked up to see Meryl making her way back up the steps.

"Where are you going, Sempai?"

"I'm going to check on Vash," she answered cheerfully and climbed up the stairs. "Thanks Millie."

With an overwhelming sense of accomplishment, she went back to her chopping. It would only be a matter of time until she was an aunt.

She only wished he was still here to enjoy this...

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**(AN: La-Di-Da! It seems we have 160 hits and two Alerts already! **

**Have I told you lately that I love you guys?**

**Well I do. A lot.**

**So much that I finished this chapter early. **

**Reviews are nice. They make me happy and updates happen sooner.)**

**P.S. – A special thanks to my amazing **Ajd262 **who put me on Alerts, not to mention they were my FIRST reviewer for this! I send you love and candy of all kinds!**


	4. Rewind

**Dig for Fire**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Trigun.**

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White was surrounding him. 

He had no idea as to where he was, what he was doing there, or why he was there to begin with. All he knew was that it was white, and big.

Yes, it was very big.

Vash looked around the abyss of nothingness he was currently in. He jumped a bit to see how stable the ground was and noticed a puff of fluff float up from the ground. How strange.

Was this supposed to happen in wherever he was?

He continued to jump, though. He liked the fluff.

Then there was a noise. It was a low sound that Vash probably wouldn't have noticed if it weren't for the deafening silence in the void.

However, it kept going. As it went it grew louder, and louder. It took only a few moments to understand what it was.

It was someone talking.

"Vash...Vash the Stampede..." It repeated again, and again.

His hand twitched to his side where his gun would have been, to his dismay he remembered his gun was still in the desert. "Crap!"

The voice chuckled and soon a figure stood before him. Vash could tell it was a tall, lean, male. He couldn't make out the face though, although the presence felt very familiar.

"Still as twitchy as ever," it said as it came closer to him. "Eh, Spikey?"

Vash felt himself go weak in the knees and rushed into the priest, toppling him over.

"Hey! Hey! Cut it out!" Wolfwood yelled as the now crying outlaw hugged him. "Get off of me, you idiot!"

The blonde quickly back away and looked up at his best friend, "Have I finally lost my mind?" he asked. "Have I finally gone off the deep end? Is it really you, Wolfwood?"

The dark haired back stood up and dusted the fluff off of his jacket. "Nah, you haven't _completely_ lost your head. It's me alright."

"How…didn't you…die?"

Wolfwood casually reached into his jacket and pulled out his infamous crumpled cigarette. "Yup, I'm as dead as dead can possibly be."

"Uh…so I'm dead?" the blonde asked while watching his friend light up his cigarette.

"Nope."

If Vash wasn't confused already, this absolutely perplexed him. "Um…I don't follow."

Wolfwood took a drag, "You aren't dead…but you're not really alive either. You're kinda floating in between."

"Ooh…"

The priest's eyebrow twitched. "You still don't get it do you?"

Vash shook his head and Wolfwood began to rub his temples. "I'd forgotten what an idiot you were!" He began to rub his chin in hopes of thinking of a better way to explain the situation to the insensible outlaw. "Hmm…when that guy shot you up, it gave you a way to leave your body somewhat. You're not alive, or else you couldn't enter here, but you're not dead. Got me so far?" Vash nodded from his position on the floor. "Good…now the reason you left your body was because you need guidance."

"Guidance?" Vash questioned.

"Yes guidance, because you're too dense to do anything on your own."

"Hey!" the plant pouted. "I defeated Knives all by myself!"

"No you didn't! You would've been blown sky high if I hadn't interfered…and that reminds me!" He then clunked Vash on the head.

"Ow! What was that for, you pretentious priest?" Even in his undead state he was still able to receive pain. Was that normal?

"Don't act like you don't know! Where is my Cross Punisher!" He demanded and Vash gulped in fear. "Oh yeah…um…it's in the dessert."

There was then another assault on his poor head. "Why the hell did you leave it in the middle of the dessert where a band a crooks can easily take it?"

"Well…it was sort of symbolic." He said sheepishly, "You know…me thinking for myself. I also left my red jacket and my gun."

"Oh really? How's that going for you?" Wolfwood asked sarcastically before making his way into the white abyss.

"Hey! Do you know how tough it is to carry an unconscious lunatic across the dessert with your shoulder shot? There was no way I could've carried that thing! It weighted a ton!" Vash shouted as he ran after the priest. "Besides, it's not like you're gonna use it or anything. You're dead!" He was soon right on his heels. "And even if you could, I don't think giant cross-shaped machine guns are allowed in heaven. It may be seen as sacrilegious an-" His blabbering was ended when Wolfwood suddenly stopped short causing Vash to walked into him.

"Hey Wolfwood, why did you…stop…" His voiced trailed away as he finally realized where they were, or seemed to be.

There were buildings so tall that they seemed to go on forever. There were people busily swimming through the chaos and commotion which seemed to be normal to their everyday lives. Men sold watches and purses from corners shops and children played games in the streets while their mothers advised them to watch out for oncoming traffic. And even though this place felt so packed and muddled…it felt so opened and serene.

"Welcome to the City of December," Wolfwood shouted as he turned around to face the ogling outlaw. "Two years ago!"

Vash was then ripped from his observations. "What? But…but how?"

The priest didn't seem to notice his question (or he simply chose to ignore it) and pointed to a passing bus. "Follow that bus, Spikey!" The poor, confused plant was then snatched and dragged down the cement sidewalk.

While in his short captivity, he noticed that Wolfwood was not walking around pedestrians but _through_ them. How was that possible...were they ghost? Vash didn't think so…he was pretty sure ghost weren't capable to feel pain and the concrete he was currently being towed though was really starting to damage his rear.

His thinking was ended when Wolfwood dropped him at the front of a tall white building with a loud, "Here we are!"

"_Here?_ Where's _'here'_? Why were you able to walk though all those people? What's so special about that bus?" Vash was tired of being left in the dark. He wanted some answers.

Wolfwood lit another cigarette. "All will be explained in time, Spikey." He then pointed to the bus that was currently unloading passengers.

"What? What is…it…?" Once again, Vash's voice was lost as he saw Nicolas D. Wolfwood exit the bus. The blonde looked back and forth between the Bus Wolfwood, and the dead one next to him.

Then…it clicked. If it was the past, then Wolfwood was still alive. He was saddened when he didn't see himself exit the bus with him. "Um…Wolfwood?"

"Yeah…"

"How long ago is this, again?"

Wolfwood took a drag. "Two years, Spikey."

Oh…that's why. He was with Lina at this time…well, dead to everyone else. He watched the past Wolfwood check the address on a little white card and look up at the building. Vash felt a hand on his shoulder and was pulled to his feet, "C'mon, we're following him."

The two spirits followed the past Wolfwood as he entered the white building's revolving doors. The lobby was large and very clean. There were two arm chairs before a large desk where a tiny red headed woman sat with a phone to her ear. She looked up at Past Wolfwood, hung up the phone, and smiled, "Hello, welcome to Bernardelli Insurance Society…do you have an appointment with Mr. Bernardelli?"

"**BERNARDELLI INSURANCE SOCIETY!" **Vash screeched and nearly fainted on the spot. Wolfwood grinned through his cigarette, "Surprised?"

"Yes!" he answered. "And I'm more than a little confused! Why were you at Bernardelli, anyway?"

"All will be explained in time, Spikey." He repeated, turning back to the scene and Vash grumbled angrily.

"Ah…no…I'm here to see one of your Disaster Investigators." Alter-Wolfwood handed the woman his little white card. She looked at it quickly before saying, "As yes…Ms. Thompson."

The outlaw then glared at his companion. "How is watching you pick up Millie considered guidance for my life?" He was ignored and went back to his angry grumbling.

"Well…" the secretary went on, "She's in today. Her office is on the fourth floor, but she's washing windows on the second floor."

The man raised an eyebrow, "Windows?"

"She was late too many times and…oh never mind." The woman pointed to the closet. "Would you like to put your…um…_luggage_…in the coat closet? It looks very heavy." At mention of the Cross Punisher, Vash got the dirtiest glare from Wolfwood he had ever witnessed.

"Nah I'm good," The man adjusted the cross on his back. "So I just go up to the second floor?"

She nodded and pointed to the elevators and he obeyed. Wolfwood followed his past self, and Vash was right on his heels. When they got into the elevator he finally asked the question that was burning in his mind, "What is this?"

"It's a memory." The priest said. The elevator stopped when they reached their destination and both men followed the alter-Wolfwood. "It's my memory from two years ago."

"But how is your memory gonna help me?"

"Just pay attention, Spikey. It'll all make sense sooner or later."

Vash was about to ask another question, when he noticed his companion had somehow disappeared. He frantically looked around for him, but no avail. He then decided to simply follow the other Wolfwood; he had to come across the dead Wolfwood again sometime…right?

He watched as Wolfwood checked around asking for Millie. It wasn't long before a middle-aged man pointed to a window the woman was currently washing. Millie noticed the priest immediately and gave him the universal sign for "one minute" before making her way back into the office. She promptly gave her friend a bone crushing hug that made Vash thankful he was invisible.

"Boukushi-san!" she squealed as she continued her hug of death, "I'm so happy you come to visit!"

"Big girl…can't…breathe…" Wolfwood gasped.

"Woops! Sorry!" Millie ended her hug, but her smile was wider than ever.

"No problem…" he replied after popping his back into place. "What'd you do this time?"

The large woman laughed, "Oh I came in late too many times and the chief got so angry he made me wash windows…again."

"Jeez, short-stuff lets you sleep in that late? I'd thought she make sure you be up at dawn!"

"Oh no, Sempai doesn't live with me anymore. She moved out a month ago." Millie replied innocently as the two made their way back to the elevator.

Wolfwood then asked the same question Vash was wondering, "Why's that? You two have a fight or something?"

Millie shook her head as she pressed the button to the floor where her department was. "No…she said she needed to be alone for awhile." she said sadly. "She said she needed to think."

The elevator sprung to life and Vash felt the pressure on his shoulders and legs once again. He wasn't really used to these things, they made him nervous. Especially with his luck, he much preferred the stairs.

His paranoia was broken when he heard Wolfwood continue the conversation. "She's still torn up about him isn't she?"

Vash raised an eyebrow, who was Meryl torn up about? A family member or an old boyfriend maybe…but then what would this have to do with guiding him in his life?

Millie nodded her head, "Yes…even more so. I wish I can help, but whenever I try she puts on a fake smile and pretends that nothings wrong," Her lips then curled into a smile as the elevator suddenly came to a halt, "But I'm sure she'll be more than happy to see you, Boukushi-san, especially on her birthday!"

Vash followed the two out of the elevator and looked around the floor they were on. Chaos would be a severe understatement for the scene on the sixth floor of Bernardelli Headquarters. Pandemonium may have come close, but the outlaw was pretty sure that there was no word in any language that would describe the workers running around like overcaffeinated lab mice. No wonder Meryl was always so uptight!

The tall insurance agent made her way through the disorder as easily as a hot knife through butter. Vash used this opportunity to try to walk through the mass like Wolfwood had done; he braced himself as he ran through a tall brunette woman and felt a cold shiver run though his entire body. It felt strange and he chose to simply walk around people instead. After noticing that his companions were already way ahead of him, he decided to simply run through everyone and ignore the strange chill he felt.

Geez, being undead was tricky.

When the gunman had finally made his way to what he figured to be Meryl's desk. He wasn't surprised with how neat and organize its continents were, Meryl was an obsessively orderly workaholic. It was the fact that the said workaholic was sleeping at her desk that surprised him.

With warm smile Millie lightly shook her friend, "C'mon Sempai! Wake up!"

Meryl shot up with a start and instantly looked around the room in a panic. When she saw Millie standing above she sighed, "Millie…don't do that! You scared the living daylights out of me."

Vash leaned against the desk and looked over the small insurance agent. Her dark hair was longer and brushed her shoulders lightly, the violent eyes that used to hold so much determination and passion were now dull. She looked so haggard, almost as if the fire in her soul had somehow gone out. He couldn't help but feel guilty.

Millie wagged her finger in front of Meryl, "Now, now Sempai! Just because it's your birthday doesn't mean you can laze around all day. Besides," she pointed to Wolfwood. "We have a visitor!"

The priest grinned and held up a hand, "Yo!"

A wave of happiness washed over the tiny woman's face, "Yo yourself!" she rushed and gave her friend a hug. "How have you been, Mr. Wolfwood?"

"You know, same old thing. Saving those lost sheep who have wandered off the path of God!" He laughed, "And just call me Nick, would ya?"

She shrugged, "Old habits, you know?" She pointed to Millie. "She still calls me 'Sempai' even though we've been off the case for over two years."

Wolfwood's eyes widened. "Speaking of years," He then turned to his bag and began to search through the contents before bringing out a tiny box with a pink bow on it. "Happy Birthday, short-stuff!" He handed her the present.

She held it in her hands, "Aw, you really shouldn't have." Wolfwood brush the thought away with his hand and she opened her present. "O-oh my god…"

"What?" Millie asked leaning over her friend's shoulder, "What is it, Sempai?"

Meryl gingerly picked up two beautiful golden earrings. Vash let out a long whistle and wondered how Wolfwood managed to buy such a gorgeous gift.

"Gosh! Those sure are pretty!" the brunette exclaimed, turning to the priest. "Those must've been pricey!"

The shorter woman shook her head and began to hand back the box, "I can't accept these…"

"Sure ya can!" He exclaimed, gently pushing the small box towards her. "You deserve them for all the hard work you do, and besides." He pointed to himself, "What am I gonna do with a pair of earrings in the dessert?"

Meryl smiled somberly and went to give Wolfwood a hug, but was stopped.

"Don't hug me yet, short-stuff!" He said wagging his finger in front of her confused face. "That was only part one of your gift."

Millie faced the priest, "Well what's the other part then?"

"I'm taking both you lovely ladies out for lunch and a day around the city!"

Millie clapped her hands together in delight, while Meryl raised an eyebrow. Vash silently wondered where the hell he was getting all this dough, and then remembered all the times the priest had asked him for money. "Moocher…" The undead man mumbled.

"That's very nice of you, Mr. Wolfwood, but I'm afraid I'll have to decline." She pointed to her desk. "I have far too much work to catch up on and I-"

"MERYL STRYFE, DON'T YOU DARE!"

Vash jumped about ten feet in the air out of surprise and held his chest in hopes to stop his rapidly beating heart. He looked up to see the owner of the voice was a tall woman with long blonde hair, ruby red lipstick and a beauty mark on her chin.

Or was it a mole?

He wasn't sure, but it was very distracting.

Meryl faced the woman and rolled her eyes, "Oh Karen…"

Karen slammed the books she was currently holding onto the table, "Don't you "Oh Karen" me!" She glared down at the woman, "You have been moping about for far too long and you need to get out! It's your birthday for god sakes!"

"I can't just get up and leave! What will the chief say?"

The blonde brushed away the comment with her hand, "Don't worry, I'll cover for you guys." She swung Meryl around and shoved her towards Wolfwood. "Go! Have a _life_ for once!"

Millie smiled and grabbed the ravened haired woman by her arm and began to drag her out of the office, "C'mon Sempai!"

"That girl…I swear she's going to be an old woman in no time." Karen looked up at Wolfwood, "Make her have fun…even if it kills her."

The priest smiled and nodded before following Millie to the elevator.

Vash watched as his three friends as they sat at a table in an outdoor café. He saw how Wolfwood shamelessly flirted with Millie, rolled his eyes and noticed Meryl wasn't really paying attention to anything. How her violet eyes seemed glued to the empty fourth chair at their small table. He felt his heart break every time she began to play with her food, only eating when she become aware of the other two that were watching her from across the table. Vash was more than a little relieved with Wolfwood finally asked for the check and the group left.

The walk around the city wasn't much different. Meryl seemed completely out of it as Millie dragged her around and Wolfwood joked about her being a stick in the mud. Vash felt himself feel guiltier and guiltier, he didn't even know why.

They returned to Meryl's apartment at around dusk and Millie excused herself to use the bathroom. Vash followed Wolfwood and Meryl to the front porch. The priest lit a cigarette as Meryl leaned against the rail.

"I've noticed," she said, breaking the silence. "You've lost some weight."

"I've been trying to find myself a real trouble maker," Wolfwood exhaled the gray smolder and smiled sadly, "I could say the same to you."

"It seems," she looked down at her hands, "That I'm hung up over a real trouble maker."

The guilt overpowered him to the point that Vash silently sank to the porch's wooden floor.

"So, Millie's been keeping contact with you?"

He took a drag from his cigarette. "She's worried about you."

"She shouldn't," she answered. "I'm just fine."

"Your best friend sure doesn't think so," His smile vanished, "And neither do I."

She shot him a stern look, "Is that why you came all of the sudden?"

"Yes," He tossed the smoke on the ground and crushed it beneath his shoe. "And no."

Vash watched dazed as Wolfwood walked over to Meryl, the height difference was almost comical. "Spikey will kill me if I don't make sure you girls are alright,"

"You talk about him as if he's still alive."

"That's because he is."

Meryl's eyes glazed over with unshed tears, "Don't lie to me, Wolfwood. I was there when it happened." She shook her head. "There's no way he survived…it's impossible."

"Spikey has the tendency to make the impossible possible."

"What makes you think he's alive? What does it matter to you?"

"You can kind of say it's my obligation. I gotta make sure that knucklehead doesn't get himself killed, and I'm pretty damn good at it." He sighed, "Knowing him he's buried himself deep in the sands of this hellish wasteland, hoping to never be found."

"You mean he's…hiding?" By now the tears were flowing down Meryl's face. "But from what?"

Wolfwood shrugged, "Who knows? All I know is I gotta track his Spikey ass and figure out what the hell is going on."

"Do you have any idea where he is?" Meryl's voice was laced with distress.

The priest sighed and couched down so he was eye-level with her, "You really do love him, don't you?"

She slowly nodded her head as Wolfwood sighed, "I know exactly where he is. As soon as I leave tomorrow, I'll be heading to where he is to kick his stupid ass back into shape and when I do," He smiled and stood up straight. "I'll make sure he causes so much chaos that every insurance company on the planet gets wind of it."

"Gets wind of what?" Millie asked from her position in the doorway. Apparently she has just come into the conversation. "Oh Sempai, have you been crying?"

Meryl blinked and shook her head, "Uh…no…I just got some dirt in my eye."

The taller girl bit her lip and looked to the priest who gave her a smile. "Well now, I think it's about time I find myself a hotel to spend the nigh-"

"Nonsense," Millie interrupted with a smile. "There's no way you're spending anymore money while you're here. You can stay at my place tonight."

Wolfwood blinked in confusion and looked at Meryl who simply shrugged. He did the same, picked up his cross and followed the tall woman down the road.

The memory then faded into a million little fibers and Vash was once again sitting in the abyss of nothingness, only now his thoughts were so cluttered he didn't even notice the dead Wolfwood walk up to him.

"What's it gonna be then, Spikey?" He said while taking a drag from his cigarette.

"Why did you show me that, Wolfwood?" Vash asked quietly.

"For guidan-"

"Don't give me that," Vash yelled. "Why the hell did you show me how depressed Meryl was? Did you think I felt bad enough leaving her behind and having to keep her in the dark? Why are you-"

"Do you love her?"

The outlaw blinked, "What?"

"Do you love her?"

"You mean Meryl? I…don't know." He knew it wasn't an answer, but he felt like he was suddenly put in the hot seat. "What do you want me to say, Wolfwood?" Vash asked desperately. "That I love her? That I can't live without her? That if anything were to ever happen to her I'd never forgive myself?"

"Why'd ya go with her, Spikey?" The priest asked.

Vash was taken aback by the question, "What are you talking about? Go where?"

"To the convenience store," Wolfwood sat next to his friend. "Ya know the thing that started this whole mess."

The blonde suddenly remembered everything prior to his awaking in the void, and grew silent.

"Spikey," growled Wolfwood.

"I was going to tell her something," Vash sighed.

"What?"

"That...that I was planning on leaving aga-"

He was interrupted by Wolfwood punching him in the face.

"DAMN YOU AND YOUR DAMN SPIKEYISM!" He yelled as Vash laid motionless on the ground. "Sweet mother Mary, do you just love making all my jobs even harder than already they are?"

Vash arose, clenching his face in his hand. "Since when is me being punched in the face part of your job!"

"When you start going into your little depress moods!" Wolfwood waves his hands in the air and in a high pitch voice he mimicked, "Oh I'm Vash the Stampede, look at me! I can never let myself have a single once of happiness because I'm not worthy! Boo hoo!"

The outlaw pouted, "I do not sound like that,"

"No you don't," Wolfwood scoffed. "You're a lot whinier."

"So what am I supposed to say? 'Hey Meryl, I love you. Please drop everything and follow me to the ends of the world with my homicidal brother who is planning the death of humanity. Oh and as a plus I'm pretty much a walking time bomb with an angel arm my brother can trigger at any given moment. Did I also mention I'm a Plant and will totally outlive you'," Vash let out a humorless laugh. "I'm sure she'll love that."

"Aren't you the one who's always saying people deserve to have a choice? You're not even giving her the opportunity to say yes."

"Because I know it's going to be a no!"

"How do you know?"

"Because it's always like that," Vash screamed. He could feel the pressure behind his eyes that singled he was about to cry. "People always run away, or get hurt."

Wolfwood sighed and reached into his jacket and pulled out another cigarette, but instead of lighting it he began to play with it between his fingers, "Do you know why they chose me to come here?"

"They knew how much you love to punch me around?"

"They told me to come because I was in the same situation you're in," He sighed. "With Millie, I had a choice. I could've let that girl go and never show tell her how I felt or I could've gone against everything and tell her. Needless to say you know what I picked."

"Again, how is this supposed to help me?"

"Sometimes, in life Spikey, the right thing to do isn't always what we think it is. This world is filled with a bunch of lies and facades. So, when you actually see something worth fighting for it's better to go for it instead of waiting around and questioning it." Wolfwood then popped the cigarette into his mouth and lit it with a match that seemed to appear from absolutely nowhere.

Vash sat, playing with the fluff on the ground, "I just don't want to make the wrong choice and ruin both our lives,"

"Don't worry, Spikey, you're pretty good at making choices," Wolfwood stood, wiped the invisible dust from his pants and began to walk to the other end of the abyss. He suddenly stopped and snapped his fingers, "That reminds me! I have a message for you from some chick in the afterlife!"

Vash blinked in confusion as he continued, "She was a tall woman, long black hair, kind eyes." With each adjective Wolfwood waved his hand. Vash silently wondered if the priest was aware of the hand motions he had the tendency to make when he spoke and if anyone had ever made fun of him for it.

"She hangs around this guy named Alex..."

"REM!" The Plant yelled. "Was it Rem?"

"Yeah, that's it!" Wolfwood smiled, "She says she's proud of you...we all are, Vash."

* * *

**(AN: Wow…that had to be the longest chapter I have ever written…ever. **

**And in other news…I finally finished my English Paper! _(Blows horn and throws confetti into air)_ Yes, 15 pages on sheep. Fantastic, right? _(gags)_**

**Lots and lots of jokes in this chapter were used from various Trigun signatures and whatnot from Trinut, which is an amazing forum if any of you are interested. **

**Hint. Double hint.**

**Okay, before I get too off topic, thanks to all who've been reading so far! I have 300 hits and 17 reviews! I'm not complaining! Hugs and kisses to you all!**

**Next update coming…er…hopefully soon!**

**I love you!) **

**Side Note - ****Boukushi-san roughly means Mr. Priest in Japanese. For some reason Mr. Priest sounded a little weird to me in the context of the story.**


	5. Play

**Dig for Fire**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Trigun.**

* * *

The morning had never been brighter and the town had never been quieter. 

Vash slowly felt the sense of consciousness overwhelm him. He was no longer in a weightless abyss, but on something soft. Was it a bed? Most likely, it's been a while since he woken up in an ally or on the desert sands. He toyed with the idea of opening his eyes, but decided he was better off pretending to be asleep for a little while longer. It really had been a while since he last let himself sleep in. One thing was concerning him though.

It was the soft feathery sensation of someone breathing on his stomach.

His mind was still clouded, and he simply figured it was that black cat that seemed to always find its way onto his lap on cold nights. Reaching out, he attempted to brush the cat off him, only to be met by very soft hair that was far too long to be a cat's.

Vash's eyes instantly opened and his eyes painfully adjusted to the bright room he was in. His mind was cluttered with questions that he began to answer.

Where was he?

He was in a bedroom.

What happened?

He got shot.

Who was on his stomach?

Meryl.

Vash bit the inside of his cheek; Meryl must have fallen asleep on him. Did she stay up all night looking after him? The two full bowls of uneaten stew that resided on the end table confirmed that. He couldn't help but find the idea utterly adorable. It made him feel an unfamiliar fluttering in his chest.

His hand was still entwined within the small girl's hair, it was so soft. He noticed it was slightly longer than it was when he left to fight Knives. Was she growing it out again? He thought back to the memory and remembered how nice her hair looked long. He wondered what it would be like if he were to bury his face in her silky, dark locks…

Wait a minute!

Why was he suddenly so obsessed with her hair? Weren't there other things to focus on?

Like how long he was out for.

By the looks of it, it was morning. That didn't answer his question though; he could've been unconscious for one day or maybe even ten. Although he doubted Meryl would stay by his side for ten days. Then again knowing Meryl she would, just so she would be able to hit him as soon as he woke up.

He dropped his hand slowly and began to caress Meryl's cheek with his thumb. Was she always so warm?

He thought back to what Wolfwood had advised him to do.

But did he really _love_ her?

Vash idly glanced down at the small woman who slept on him. There was no denying that he cared for her a lot, far more than he had any other woman. But love? He wasn't sure; he never really loved anyone before. There was Rem and then there was Knives, but that was more of a platonic love. He never felt love before; he had never allowed himself too. On the other hand, he never felt as strong of feelings as he felt for Meryl.

He unexpectedly felt the urge to yawn, and did his best to contain it. He knew if he were to make any sudden movements Meryl would wake up and if Meryl woke up he would lose his most comfortable source of heat. That or she would yell at him. She wasn't really a morning person.

Vash couldn't help himself and did his best to muffle the sound behind his hands. It was no use, however, and Meryl soon groaned softly as she began to awake. Vash froze, feeling like a boy caught peeking and did he best to try and act natural. This was hard considering he couldn't move. He felt her nuzzle her head into his stomach, tickling him to the point where he had to bite his lower lip to keep from laughing.

With a start, Meryl instantly shot up and stared at Vash like a deer fixed in the headlights. Her hair was muddled, and her violet eyes were glassy with sleep. Her face flushed a rosy shade of pink with embarrassment, and Vash did what he did in all awkward moments. He smiled like an idiot.

"G'morning, insurance girl!" he greeted. "Am I a good pillow?"

"I…er…um…" Her blush deepened. She hated sounding so tongue tied, so she changed the subject. "Um…how are you feeling?"

His lopsided grin never left his face, "A lot better."

"You were…unconscious for a while…I was just making sure you were alright."

"Thanks, but I think I'll be okay now."

"I…I should check your wounds," Meryl rose from her seat and gave him a questioning look. "Is that…um…alright?"

He nodded, making an attempt to sit up without causing himself too much pain.

"Easy," she warned. "You're gonna reopen them!"

Nervously, he shrugged off his already unbuttoned shirt. Meryl sat behind him and with tender hands began to unwrap the old bandages.

"Wow," she said in an attempt to break the deafening silence between them. "Those guys really did a number on you."

He mumbled something incoherent in response. He had his eyes closed and was enjoying the feel of her soft hands on his battered flesh.

"I'm…sorry." he mumbled.

She was in the middle of cleaning off the dried blood with an alcohol swab. "For what?"

"It's just…it must be hard to look at…"

Meryl realized he was talking about his body and smiled sadly, "Don't worry about it. It doesn't bother me."

They sat in silence until, to Vash's dismay, her warm hands were gone. "All done," She said while looking over her handiwork. She was very proud of herself; it seemed that Knives was giving her a lot of practice. Her observations were cut short by Vash deciding it was a good idea to stretch his back.

"Don't do that!" she snapped. He instantly stopped and looked at her with a pout.

"But I'm stiff!" he whined.

"I don't care, you're gonna reopen your wounds!"

"But all I've been doing is lying in bed!"

"Because you were shot!" she huffed as he pulled his shirt back on with a satisfied smirk. He loved teasing her; she was so amusing when she got mad.

"You're bossy, insurance girl." He said making the universal sign for "scoot over" and rested back down on the bed while she sat next to him. She curled her legs into her chest, not wanting to take up more room than she had too.

She felt so weird sitting on the bed and just being so close to him. He was so warm, like a human radiator.

"Are you…um…in any pain?" she asked softly. "I could give you some of Knives' painkillers if you want."

Vash shook his head and closed his eyes, "Speaking of the saint…Knives isn't giving you any trouble, is he?"

"No," she said softly as she began to pick the lint off the blanket. "It's just the normal glaring routine. Maybe a few fowl words if he's feeling risky."

He smiled, "You still the winner?"

"Of course I am." she said rolling her eyes.

Vash chuckled, "That's my girl."

The compliment made a blush rise in Meryl's cheeks; she instantly looked down in an attempt to hide it. She focused on Vash's bandages and remembered something she was meaning to ask him.

"You're a much faster healer than your brother," she said. "He's been bedridden for at least a month and his wounds are just staring to heal. Meanwhile, you were shot yesterday and you're nearly healed. Why is that?"

He knew he had to tell her sooner or later. With a sigh, Vash opened his eyes. "I think we need to talk," He ignored Meryl's warning and sat up, resting on his elbows. "Remember that time in New Oregon, when I left during the sandstorm?"

She nodded, how could she forget? She and Millie were only thrown around the entire town by that stupid storm trying to find him. She gulped when she remembered how he looked when they finally caught up to him and Wolfwood. He had looked so old and broken down.

"Well, I went to my old home…an old Project SEEDs ship. They know a lot about Plants."

"But Vash," she asked softly. "What does that have to do with Knives?"

"Because I think I may have injured Knives more than I meant to…and they're the only ones who can help him. I was planning on leaving today, but since I'm all shot-up I guess I'll have to wait, huh?" He let out a nervous laugh and noticed Meryl's head was resting on her knees.

"Meryl?" he asked. She didn't respond.

"I was going to tell you at the convenience store, but I-"

He felt the tiny woman climb over him and make her way to the bedroom door. He reached out to stop her, but she moved away.

"Wait! Meryl!"

Her hand was on the doorknob when she turned around and gave him the fakest smile he had ever witness. Wolfwood was right, those did hurt.

"Wow Vash, you must be starving! I'm going to go downstairs and make some breakfast while I'm up."

"No wait, you don't under-"

She ignored him and the smile still stayed, "How about some Pancakes? You're going to need all the energy you can get for your journey."

"Meryl!"

She walked out and closed the door behind her.

Meryl hurried through the hallway and down the stairs. She had to keep her mind clear; she couldn't fly off the handle and cry. If she did that, she wasn't sure if she would ever be able to stop.

The cabinets were so old it took her a couple of tries to open them. When she did, she saw they enough mix left for one more batch. She frantically grabbed milk, eggs and a mixing bowl. She was careless when cracking the eggs and almost got shells in the batter, and she was sure she put in a bit too much milk. It didn't matter though; she just needed to focus on the task. If she focused on mixing the batter she wouldn't have to think about Vash.

She wouldn't have to think about how he was leaving again. She wouldn't have to think about how stupid she was to actually think that something would happen between them. She wouldn't have to think at all, but the pressure behind her eyes told her it was in vain.

"Sempai?"

Meryl's head shot up and her tear filled eyes met Millie's.

"Sempai...what are you doing?" She asked softly.

"I'm...I'm..." The small woman looked around the kitchen to see pancake mixture everywhere, egg shells on the floor and an empty carton of milk at her side.

What _was_ she doing, anyway?

"I'm…I'm…" The warm tears began to cascade down her face. "I'm making pancakes!" She threw the wooden spoon into the sink with a crash and fell to her knees and sobbed.

Millie hurried to her best friend's side. Never had Millie seen Meryl fall apart like this, something terrible must have happened. She gathered her up in a warm embrace and rocked her back and forth, "Shh...it's alright Sempai...I'll be alright."

"No Millie," she hiccupped. "It won't...it won't..."

"What won't? What happened?"

"Again...he's leaving...again..."

Millie bit her bottom lip. She was so sure that Vash and Meryl would sort things out, but maybe Vash _did_ think they were just nuisances.

But it was their job to follow him! Didn't Meryl always say that? Why was she acting like this? Why was she suddenly so hopeless?

"Millie...I'm sorry...so sorry..."

"Don't be sorry, Sempai. You-"

"I've ruined it...I've gotten too close to an assignment...if the chief ever found out...oh god, Millie..." This brought a whole new round of hysterics from Meryl. She was so far gone; Millie had to bring her back.

Millie reached onto the counter and grabbed the nearest thing she could, which happened to be a roll of paper towels.

"Meryl!" she said sternly and hit her partner over the head with the roll. "Get a hold of yourself!" With every word she softly bonked the woman until the sobs subsided and she looked up at her with watery, violent eyes.

"Listen," she said pointing the roll at her for emphasis. "You have work today right?"

Meryl nodded stupidly.

"Then I want you to march upstairs, take a nice long shower, and get yourself together!"

"But the wa-"

Millie hit her over the head again, "Don't worry about the water supply! We hit a water main, remember? Anyway, after that you're going to get dressed and go to work."

"Millie I-"

"And then," Millie interrupted only this time she gave her friend a warm smile. "You're going to come home, and we'll figure this whole thing out." She frowned and held the paper towel roll threateningly. "Do I make myself, clear?"

Meryl nodded slowly.

"Good," Millie ripped off a sheet from the roll and handed it to Meryl so she could blow her nose. She watched the tiny woman stand up and slowly make her way up the stairs.

She picked herself off the floor, dusted herself off, and made her way to the sink to grab the spoon Meryl had thrown. The tall woman then began to finish the breakfast her partner had started, all while planning what she was going to do next.

First things first, she had to find out what was going on with Vash. He obviously had a reason for wanting leave. Perhaps it was Knives' doing. Maybe he wasn't so helpless after all. Whatever the reason was, Millie was sure when she found what it was she would be able to straighten this whole mess out.

She was just finishing up the last pancake when Meryl had shyly come down the stairs and stared at her, as if waiting for approval. Millie gave a smile she hoped was reassuring, "Have a nice day at work, Sempai!" Meryl nodded robotically before walking out of the house.

Millie placed the last pancake on the plate with the others. She washed the pan and bowl and returned them to their respective places. She made the boys their plates and wondered if Knives ever had pancakes before. After taking both plates, she made her way to Vash's bedroom.

"Mr. Vash," she called. "I have breakfast for you."

When he didn't respond, she balanced the second plate on the crook of her arm and opened the door herself.

Vash was laying on the bed with his back to her. He didn't seem to notice she had come in.

"Mr. Vash?" she asked. He was awake, she knew that. "I've brought you some breakfast."

When he still remained silent she placed it on his end table. "Well, if you change you're min-"

"Is Meryl…" he said softly. "Is Meryl…alright?"

"No," she said just as delicately. "She's not."

As he laid there on his bed, refusing to eat or even look at her, he reminded her of a child.

"And neither are you." With that she left his bedroom, making sure to close the door behind her.

Vash curled himself into his sheet and buried his head in his pillow. It was hard to breath and his lungs hurt, but it was better than crying. He hadn't meant to hurt Meryl, it was actually supposed to be the opposite.

Why couldn't she have waited for him to finish? She would've heard him out and realized that he wanted her to come with him. He wanted her by his side. He was tired of seeing her cry.

That smile.

He groaned and buried himself deeper into his pillow. He never, ever wanted to see that smile again. It hurt too much to think about, none the less to actually look at.

Was _that_ the face he'd been wearing his entire life?

When he was tired of the throbbing pain in his chest that signaled the need for oxygen, Vash turned on his side. As he gasped for air, the sweet sent of syrup engulfed his senses making his stomach remember how hungry it was. He sat up and stared at the plate not really sure if he wanted to eat it or not. His stomach won with an angry grumble and he grabbed the plate.

A voice in the back of his head told him that the pancakes were very thin and a bit burnt, but it didn't give it any acknowledgment. He kept eating, hoping the pancakes would fill the empty feeling in his gut.

They say despair was the best spice…or was it hunger? Whatever, he felt both so it didn't matter.

When he was finished, he placed the plate back on the table and stared at the ceiling until he realized how dirty the ceiling actually was. He also noticed that if someone were to squint their eyes the dirt looked like a butterfly.

He took that as a sign to go visit Knives.

Vash walked across the hall and into his brother's room, not bothering to knock. Meryl was right, Knives was still bedridden.

The platinum blonde opened his eyes and looked at his brother, "It's about time you came, I thought that infuriating spider was going to choke me to death with that garbage she called 'pancakes'."

"I can see that," Vash pointed to his chin. "You got a little dab of syrup on your face." He went to whip off the goop when Knives bit him.

"Ow!" he cried. "Knives, you bit me!"

"You're damn right I bit you, you imbecile!"

Vash pouted, "Why you'd do that for?"

"Because I can't move my arms! If I could I would've ringed your neck for leaving me alone for an entire day with _them_!"

With a sigh Vash sat on the chair across from Knives' bed. "You only say that because you don't want to admit you like them."

If looks could kill Vash would've died ten times over, until Knives' glaze lowered to his brother's now bandaged chest. "What happened to you?"

He noticed how Vash instantly covered himself and mumbled something incoherent. If there was anything Knives hated more than the human race, it was not being told something. "Vash…"

"I was shot."

"Those filthy spiders," he hissed. "They did that, didn't they?"

"It's not what you think." He met Knives' glare. "And it was a _human_ who stayed by my side and made sure I was alright."

"Let me guess, it was the small one who was howling before."

Vash sighed and rubbed his temples, "I didn't come in here to talk about that. I came to talk to you about something more important."

The older Plant raised an eyebrow and Vash continued. "Knives, you said you've been having trouble moving your arms. And I've noticed you haven't been prying yourself in my mind like you used to. Have you been having trouble controlling them?"

Knives was never one to accept defeat, but his lack of control had been worrying him. He scoffed, "I'm sure once my body is fully healed I-"

"That's just it!" His brother chirped. "We've been here for a month and your body still hasn't fully recuperated. I think…I think I may have damaged the seeds in your arms."

Knives felt a sense of confusion overwhelm him. "My seeds…damaged?"

"Yes…but don't worry," Vash instantly raised his hand in a defensive manner. "I know a place where they can help you! It's an old Project SEEDs ship and they know a lot about Plants. I have friends there who can help you."

"Are they…humans?"

"Yes."

"Oh Vash, don't tell me you don't see the irony in all this?" Knives chuckled and Vash raised an eyebrow. "I spent my life trying to destroy all humans, only to be brought down by my own brother…"

"Knives…" Vash warned and Knives couldn't help but smirk at the way his brother's face was twisted in anger. Oh, he had struck a nerve!

"Now I must throw myself at the mercy of these spiders, because you love them so much especially-" He stopped, noticing the rage in his brother's eyes. Knives wasn't stupid, he knew his brother could kill him whenever he wanted to, especially in his current condition.

"I won, Knives," Vash said breaking the silence. "And you know if it were the other way around you'd-"

"I'd help you see the error of your ways!"

"And I would have to!" Vash screamed. "Damn it Knives, stop fighting me! I'm not asking you to worship humans I just need you to tolerate them!"

Knives was taken aback, never had his brother yelled at him like that. Vash had certainly changed, he had more confidence now. He wasn't that wimpy little brother who followed him everywhere anymore. Now it seemed if Knives wanted to recover, or even survive, he would have to follow his lead.

"One year," he heard him say. "Spend one year with them, and if you really cannot find a way to peacefully coexist with them, we'll leave."

The platinum blonde grumbled.

"What was that?"

"I said it's not as if I really have a choice in the matter…"

"Good. I'm sorry I yelled at you. But," Vash grinned and stood up, "If you do anything to hurt my friends, I won't hesitate to pull the trigger." He made gun-shaped gesture with his hand and Knives rolled his eyes.

"Whatever, just leave so I can go back to my resting."

"You mean sulking?"

Knives sent him a death glare and Vash instantly backed out of the room, "See ya later, Knivesy-kins." He blew his brother a kiss and closed the door behind him.

Vash had to admit, he felt better after telling Knives. He was also glad that Knives was very, very medicated by the time he actually got around to it.

He still felt like crap though.

He swaggered into his bedroom to be greeted by Millie hurrying around his room with a laundry basket. He was standing in the doorway a good ten minutes before she noticed him.

"Oh! Good afternoon Mr. Vash," She greeted and pointed to the laundry basket in her arms. "Don't worry; I'm just doing a batch of laundry for you."

Vash nodded and made his way to his bed and watched the tall woman clean.

"Honestly Mr. Vash," she sighed as she picked up another sock from the floor. "Where would you be without Sempai and me looking after you all the time?"

He smiled, "Probably dead in a ditch somewhere."

"With dirty laun-" Millie swung around to face him. That had been the first thing he had said to her all day. "Oh! I'm glad you're finally talking. Y'know, my big-big-brother always told me it's better to talk about what bothering you than bottling it all up inside." She made her way to his bed and placed the basket on the floor. She was going to get to the bottom of this mess even if it took the rest of her day off.

Vash sighed and buried his head in his hands. "You're talking about the whole Meryl thing, aren't you?"

She nodded, "She was very upset, you know."

"I know."

"You made her cry."

He sighed, "I didn't mean too, honest. I was actually…" He stopped and raised his head from his hands.

"Yes?" Millie asked urging him on.

"Forget it…It was a stupid idea." He shook his head. "I'll be out of your hair in the morning. I'll take Knives and lea-" He was instantly stopped by a sock being shoved into his mouth.

"No way, Mr. Vash, I can't let you do that."

"Mhy mot?" His question was muffled within the sock.

"Sempai cares too much about you for you to just walk out! Not to mention it's our job to follow you."

"Mhy mow mat," He sighed and spat the sock out. "It's just I feel as if I'm bringing Knives in as a burden on you two. I thought if I left and we went our separate ways you two would have gone back to Bernardelli and…you know…have your old lives back…I didn't mean to…" His voice began to trail and that's when Millie noticed that he was on the verge of tears.

With a heavy heart, she gathered him into a hug and he freely cried onto her shoulder. "I didn't mean to make her...cry…I swear…I…just wanted...to make sure…"

It was then that it dawned on her, Vash really _was_ a child. A very broken, scared and confused child.

"Oh Mr. Vash," she sighed. "What were you thinking trying to take this all on by yourself?" His answer was subdued in her shirt. "Don't you know that Sempai and I are always here for you? You're more than just our assignment, silly, you're our friend."

He lifted his head away with a sniffled and looked up at her with a grin. "Thank you."

"Don't thank me yet, I have something else to talk to you about." Millie wagged her fingered in front of the outlaw as attempted to back away on the bed. He gulped when he hit the wall and ran out of bed. "What is all this going between you and Sempai, hmmm? You leave her waiting after you go to get Mr. Knives, then you finally come back and you make her cry! Can't you see I want to be an aunt? How can you two do that if you're in a fight, hmmm?"

"Oh yeah…." He began to nub the back of his neck. "I…like her."

"How much do you like her?" Millie couldn't help but giggle when she saw him blush.

"A…a lot."

"Then why'd you make her cry?!"

"I didn't mean to!" He said, trying to defend himself. "I was trying to ask her if you two would come with me, but she took it the wrong way when I simply mentioned leaving."

"Well, you can't really blame her; you did used to leave us behind all the time." Millie sighed. "You need to tell her the truth."

"I know, I'll tell her to come with m-"

"I mean about how you feel."

If it were even possible, Vash's face grew redder. "T-t-tell her?" Millie nodded. "But…she'll kill me!"

"She may, but I doubt it." Millie said innocently as she stood from the bed. "She cares about you."

"Do you know…how much?" He asked timidly.

"Oh Mr. Vash," She sighed while taking the basket into her hands and making her way out. "You're such a boy, sometimes."

Doing the laundry gave Millie time to think about how silly Vash and Meryl were behaving. All they had to do was say how they really felt about each other, and they could be happy. Why were they so afraid of the outcome when it was so obvious they both felt the same way about each other?

She was finishing up a pinning a white bed sheet to the clothesline when she saw Meryl walking down the road and towards the house.

"Good afternoon, Sempai!" Millie greeted. "Why are you home so early?"

Meryl sighed and jogged over to help Millie. "Mr. Brown gave me the rest of the day off." she said while pinching the opposite end of the sheet and pinning it to the line. "Apparently I broke too many trays today."

It was clear to Millie that her partner was done being sad about the situation with Vash and was now angry about the whole ordeal. It's a shame that those poor, innocent trays had to suffer for it though.

"Well now that you're home you can help me, Sempai." The tall girl said handing a basket of clean cloths to the smaller one. "Could you bring these to Vash's room for me? I'm sure he's still in there resting."

Meryl looked at the basket as if it were an explosive, "Millie…I don't know…"

"Oh please, Sempai?" Millie begged giving what she hope were her best puppy-dog eyes. "I have to finish the other sheets and then I'll start dinner. You're going up there anyway to get changed, right?"

Millie mentally cheered when Meryl nodded and took the basket from her. The small woman was just making a way to the house when she yelled, "Oh Sempai!"

She instantly turned around. "Yes?"

The younger woman smiled, "Just remember…baby steps."

Meryl nodded absentmindedly and began to make her way back to the house, completely oblivious to the knowing smile on her best friend's face.

During work she had tried to make a list in her head of all the things she wouldn't miss about him.

There was the way he always tracked dirt into the house because he refused to take off his boots.

He was always finding new ways to get hurt.

He nearly burnt down the house trying to make toast. Twice.

All he ever did was bum around while she and Millie worked all day.

He left the toilet seat up.

Then there was Knives...she couldn't even begin to describe the relief she'd feel as soon as that egocentric bastard was out of her hair.

Yes, she'd be fine. She'd return to December and go back to work. Maybe she'd even change careers. She was still young after all; her entire life was stretched out before her. She was going to be okay. She was going to be alright.

She was such a horrible liar.

Meryl's heart was so close to shattering and there was nothing she could do to stop it. This was why she never allowed herself to fall in love. It was too much of a risk for her. She needed stability. She needed facts. How could she have fallen for such an unorganized person like Vash the Stampede?

She blankly stared at his door. All she had to do was tap on the door, hand him the basket and leave. That was all. Then she could go into her room, cry for about an hour, and then try to get her life back in shape.

The way the faux wood of his door mocked her was irritating, and she was able to muster up enough courage to knock. Her stomach dropped when he didn't answer. She knocked again with more force. Again, she was ignored. Meryl felt her temper flare and the anger replace her uncertainty.

"Vash?" She was surprised with how composed her voice was compared to how she was feeling. "Vash, open this door! I have your stupid laundry!" When he still didn't answer, she just pushed the door opened.

His room was completely empty. The only evidence of him not actually leaving the house was the fact that his muddy boots were at the foot of his bed. How many times had she told him to leave them by the front door?

The emptiness of the room made her feel uneasy and she wanted to get out of there as soon as possible. She made her way to his bed, but was stopped when two arms slipped around her waist.

She instantly dropped the basket on the floor out of fright. "_Please don't let it be Knives,"_ she silently prayed. _"I don't want to die because Vash was too lazy to do his own laundry."_

"You're home early," the voice whispered into her ear. It was Vash, and suddenly Meryl wished it really was Knives trying to kill her. She didn't want to face Vash so soon.

She remained motionless and Vash continued. "We need to talk."

"We did already, remember? You're leaving with Knives, I get it." She tried to pull away from him, but his grip on her was too tight. "Let me go, Vash."

"No."

She wasn't facing him, and she silently wondered what he face was like. Nervous? Sad? Indifferent? She refused to check though; it was easier to talk to him without actually looking at him.

His body felt damp and hot against her. "You're wet."

"I took a shower."

"Don't tell me I walked in on you getting dressed."

"I'm fully clothed," He rested his face next to hers. His whiskers were scratchy. Was he too lazy to shave too? "And you're changing the subject."

"There's no subject to change."

He moved his face and it was now in her head. "Yes there is, and you're not moving until we talk about this. I'm not having you run out on me again."

She flexed her hands anxiously. "Why are you rubbing in it?"

"I'm just trying to explain myself."

"Shut up, no you're not! You just want to run away again like you always do!" She screamed finally losing it. "Who the hell do you think you are? Coming back here and getting my hopes up that you had finally chosen to live a peaceful life and that maybe I meant more to you than just some insurance agent! But no, this was just a pit stop!" She began to thrash in his arms, wanting to get out of there. "Let me go Vash, you stupid broomhead! Let me go!"

"No." Why was his voice so damn calm?

"Vash!" she screamed and continued until she tired herself out. She panted and found herself leaning him for support. "I hate you…" she hissed. "I hate you. I hate you. I hate you!" Her eyes began to throb with the sign of tears again. "Why are you doing this? Just stop. Just stop it already. I want to go…let me go." She wanted freedom and she wasn't talking about his tight grasp around her anymore.

"Not until we work this out." he whispered. "Now if you're done fighting me, I would like to finish what I couldn't this morning."

She calmed down, "You have five seconds broomhead."

"Look, I know I said I wanted to live a peaceful life - and I do - but I can't with Knives in this condition. No matter what, Knives' health has got to come first. I'm trying to prove to him that humanity still has a lot to offer and I don't think him sitting in bed for the rest of his life will accomplish that. I have to take him to the SEEDs ship, there's no way around that. But," He sighed and his hold on her tightened. Was he hugging her? "I want you to...to come with me."

If it weren't for him hugging her, she was sure she would have collapsed. "...what?" she managed.

"Come with me." He said with more confidence. "I think you'll like it there, the people are really nice and you may learn a lot. Oh and you'll love my friend Jessica-"

He was beginning to jabber, meaning he wasn't telling her something. "What's the real reason, Vash?"

"Because I think you and Millie were a really good influence on Knives and...and...I really want you to come."

"Why?" He was keeping something from her, and she didn't like it. He usually told her and Millie to stay put, now he's asking them to come along? Something must be wrong.

Even though she couldn't see him, she knew he was struggling for words. He eventually sighed and swung her around so she was facing him. This was the first time she saw him since that morning. His hair was shaggy and wet, eyes were fierce with...she wasn't sure what the emotion it was, he needed to shave.

"Meryl, I've never allowed myself to be close to anyone before. Then you came...and now I don't know if I can keep doing that. I want to be close to you. You make me feel...weird...but it's not a bad weird...it's a nice weird. I guess it's not a weird feeling then, is it? It's more of a warm, fluffy, nervous feeling. You make me feel...happy." He began to blush the most adorable shade of red. "I hate seeing you cry, and I never want you to get hurt. I want to protect you no matter what the cost." Pausing, he looked into her eyes. "I don't know how to explain it any better than that."

Meryl felt as if her heart was going to burst from happiness. Suddenly Millie's advice seemed to make sense to her.

Baby steps.

Vash was never one to express his emotions and just now he had basically spilled his heart out to her. He was taking small steps to letting people into his heart for the first time. Meryl bit her bottom lip as she attempted to hold back tears. He really _did_ care about her. It was almost too good to be true.

"No Meryl," he stammered nervously. "Don't cry please! I didn't mean to make you upset! Whatever thing I said wrong I take it back!"

She laughed softly and raised herself up onto her tiptoes. Her arms slowly snaked around his neck, and she seized his mouth in a soft kiss. "No Vash, don't take it back. Don't take any of it back." she whispered against his lips.

"Wow…I'm guessing you're coming with me then?"

She nodded and his arms wrapped around her more generously and possessively. "Meryl, could you promise me something?"

"What's that?"

He kissed the top of her head. "Let's see all sorts of things together. Let's walk together. Forever."

"Of course we will, Vash," She smiled into his chest. "Do you even have to ask?"

**The End.**

* * *

**Well it looks like I've defeated the twin demons known as procrastination and distraction and finally finished the final chapter. Sorry it took so long, but it's finally over. Thanks for sticking with me, though! 570 hits! I'm not complaining!**

**Thank you **Alaena Night, igbogal, Pyro-chan623, Jaya Mitai, Ajd262, inkydoo, La Flor del Fuego, September's Nobara, Aine of Knockaine**, and anyone else I forgot for the amazing reviews! I hope I got to all of you! I LOVE YOU GUYS!!!**

**And also to **Kate RD**, and **Alana** who are far too awesome for usernames! I love you guys!**

**A special thank you to **Ajd262, Alaena Night,** and **igbogal** for the adding this to their story alerts!**

**And super special thanks you to **Pyro-chan623** for helping me get over that obnoxious snag of writer's block that hit me in the middle of the chapter.**

**Well it's been fun, guys, but it seems this fic is finally at a close! Thanks again to everyone! I hope you had as much fun reading it as I did writing it.**

**I also hope you all have a nice, safe, spooky Halloween!**

**Until next time, folks!**

**x3 Chibi Monkey13**


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